Artwork of Olga Hanson Schmidt

My great-grandmother Olga Hanson Schmidt (1891-1990) was a multi-talented artist. The most common memories related by those who knew her involve her artwork. She was a teacher of the art of quilting, and painted and drew in many different mediums.

Rather than being a biographical article, I just wanted to create a place where some of her artwork could be displayed. I’ll continue to update this article with other photos and artwork as they become available. [You can click on any of the photos to enlarge them and/or download them.]

This still-life is owned by Olga’s granddaughter, Ellen Krueger Larson. It’s in one of the upstairs bedrooms at her home.

Sunset In Wood

“This painting is very old. The colors are incredible. It hangs in the master bathroom.” – Kay Johnson Rhyner

Fall Scene

“This looks like our driveway up north. It hangs in our living room every autumn.” – Kay Johnson Rhyner. The piece originally belonged to Gloria Johnson.

Ice Skating

“Original owner was Gloria [Johnson]. After her divorce she gave to me. It hangs in one of our guest bedrooms.” – Kay Johnson Rhyner

Eau Claire River

“Grandma Schmidt painted this when I was in high school. The boat house to the right belonged to Dick’s Grandfather (Louis) Rhyner.” – Kay Johnson Rhyner

“Again, the original owner of this painting was Gloria. Grandma had never finished it. Our daughter, Kris, added a few strokes along the shoreline. It hangs in one of our guest bedrooms.” – Kay Johnson Rhyner

John Voght Quilt

This quilt is owned by John Voght.

Kay Rhyner’s Quilts

“The top two were my Mother’s. The top one she used until her death in 1986 . The second is a twin size with wool batting… very heavy. Mother had that quilt before she was married. The third quilt is twin size and on loan from my daughter Becky [Rhyner Duffy]. The bottom two are both mine, and Grandma gave them to me the year I was married in 1961.” – Kay Johnson Rhyner

Ashtrays

Ashtrays – Apart

“This was a set of ash trays that Grandma made for her daughter Mabel. This set is the only ceramics that I have from her ” clay period”, but I wonder if there are more.” – Kay Johnson Rhyner

Candle Holder in Ceramic

“I knew I had another piece of Grandma Schmidt’s ceramic period. Found this beautiful rose this morning as I was looking for something else. ” – Kay Johnson Rhyner

Share this:

Like this:

LikeLoading...

Related

About cthomas1967

Seeking to bring my ancestors out of the shadows of history and into the light.
I have always been interested in history, and at a few different times I tried to do a family tree, but wasn't able to do it with the technology that was available then. On a business trip I visited the World War I Museum in Kansas City, MO and it was a very impressive establishment. While I was there I remember thinking, "Didn't my great-grandfather father fight in World War I? And wasn't his brother killed alongside him in some famous battle? I wonder if I can find out where he died." That's what started it all.
View all posts by cthomas1967

This entry was posted on Tuesday, November 13th, 2012 at 10:00 AM and posted in Hanson, Schmidt. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed.

Olga ws a special friend of mine. She gave me a “slip” of a double rose hybiscus and I had it for many years. I gave a slip of it to Mr. Knaak, the principal of D.C. Everest Sr. High School and he had it in his office for many years. So y ou see she was a gardener as well as an artist. How did she ever find the time for all of the wonderful work she did, Thank you sfor sharing, -especially to Eleanor Hummel Berg..
Helen Medyam